Most restaurants don't have menus in Excel or database format - they have PDF menus, printed menus, or photos of menu boards. Smart menu import solves this by using AI to automatically extract items, prices, and descriptions from PDFs and images with 95%+ accuracy. Upload your menu file, AI processes it in 30-60 seconds, you review and approve, and your complete menu is ready for phone ordering. This guide shows how to leverage AI menu extraction to save hours of manual data entry.
The Menu Digitization Challenge
Why Most Restaurants Struggle
The reality of restaurant menus today:
| Menu Format | Percentage of Restaurants | Digitization Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| PDF menu (from designer) | 45% | Need to manually type out all items |
| Printed menu only | 25% | Must scan/photo then manually enter |
| POS system (digital) | 20% | Can export CSV (easy!) |
| Excel/Google Sheets | 7% | Already digital (use CSV upload) |
| Menu board photos | 3% | Need OCR to extract text |
The Problem: 70% of restaurants have menus locked in PDFs or printed formats, requiring hours of manual typing to digitize.
Smart Import Solution
How Smart Import Works:
Upload: Drop PDF menu or photo into Smart Import tool
AI Extraction: Advanced OCR + AI identifies items, prices, descriptions
Review Interface: See extracted data in editable table format
Corrections: Fix any AI errors (typically 5% need minor edits)
Approve & Publish: Click confirm and menu goes live
Time Savings: Turn 3-4 hours of manual typing into 10-15 minutes of review and correction.
How Smart Menu Import Works
Step 1: Upload Your Menu File
Access Smart Import in your admin panel:
Upload Process:
Log into Inputly.AI admin panel
Navigate to Products → Smart Import
Click "Upload Menu"
Drag-and-drop or select file (PDF, JPG, PNG)
Click "Start AI Extraction"
Step 2: AI Processing (30-60 Seconds)
What happens during AI extraction:
OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Converts image/PDF to text
Layout Analysis: Identifies menu sections, categories, item groupings
Item Detection: Recognizes dish names, descriptions, prices
Price Extraction: Finds and formats all prices (handles $, £, €, ¥)
Category Assignment: Groups items into appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc.
Structure Creation: Builds organized menu data table
Processing Time by Menu Size:
1-page menu (25-40 items): 20-30 seconds
2-page menu (50-80 items): 40-50 seconds
3-4 page menu (100-150 items): 60-90 seconds
Large menu (200+ items, 6+ pages): 120-180 seconds
Step 3: Review & Edit Extracted Data
AI extraction results displayed in editable table:
| Field | AI Accuracy | Common Corrections Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Item Names | 98% | Rare: Special characters, accents |
| Prices | 97% | Occasional: Decimal placement, currency symbol |
| Descriptions | 92% | Common: Multi-line descriptions split incorrectly |
| Categories | 90% | Common: Mis-categorization of combo items |
| Modifiers | 85% | Frequent: Size options mixed with base price |
Overall Accuracy: 95%+ of data extracted correctly, requiring only minor corrections.
Step 4: Approve & Publish
After reviewing and correcting any errors:
Click "Approve All Items" to publish entire menu
Or selectively approve items one category at a time
Menu immediately available to AI phone agent
Extraction data saved for future reference
Supported File Formats
PDF Menus
Best format for Smart Import - highest accuracy:
PDF Menu Requirements:
File Size: Up to 25 MB per file
Page Count: 1-50 pages (most menus are 1-4 pages)
Text-Based PDFs: Best results (AI can read text directly)
Scanned PDFs: Good results (AI uses OCR)
Resolution: 150 DPI minimum, 300 DPI ideal
JPG/PNG Images
Photos of printed menus or menu boards:
Format: .jpg, .jpeg, .png
File Size: Up to 15 MB per image
Resolution: 1200×800 pixels minimum, 2400×1600 ideal
Lighting: Good lighting, no shadows obscuring text
Angle: Straight-on photo (not at sharp angle)
Multi-Page Menus
For menus spanning multiple pages:
| Upload Method | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Single PDF | AI processes all pages sequentially | Multi-page PDF menus (ideal) |
| Multiple Images | Upload page 1, 2, 3 separately | Photos of each menu page |
| Batch Upload | Upload all images at once, AI merges | Scanned menu pages (JPG format) |
AI Accuracy & Best Practices
What AI Handles Excellently
High-Accuracy Extractions:
Standard Layouts: Traditional menu formats with clear sections
Clear Typography: Readable fonts, good contrast
Consistent Pricing: Prices aligned in columns or following items
Category Headers: Clearly labeled sections (Appetizers, Entrees, etc.)
Multi-Language: English, French, Spanish, Italian recognized
Challenging Scenarios (Lower Accuracy)
AI may struggle with:
Heavily Designed Menus: Artistic fonts, text over complex backgrounds
Poor Image Quality: Blurry photos, low resolution scans
Handwritten Menus: Chalkboard menus, cursive writing (60-70% accuracy)
Unconventional Layouts: Circular menus, extremely creative designs
Multiple Columns: 3-4 column layouts can confuse item grouping
Tips for Best Results:
Use high-resolution PDFs (300 DPI if scanned)
Take photos in good lighting, no flash glare
Hold camera straight (not at angle)
Ensure all text is in focus
If menu has fold, photograph each page flat
Remove any overlapping items (plates, glasses) from photo
Review Interface & Correction Tools
Editable Data Table
After AI extraction, results display in structured table:
Inline Editing: Click any field to edit directly
Bulk Actions: Select multiple items to change category or delete
Confidence Scores: AI shows confidence % for each extraction
Highlighted Errors: Low-confidence items flagged yellow for review
Side-by-Side View: See original PDF/image next to extracted data
Common Corrections Workflow
Typical 10-Minute Review Process:
Scan Item Names (2 min): Check for typos, special characters
Verify Prices (3 min): Ensure decimals correct ($16.99 not $1699)
Review Categories (2 min): Fix any mis-categorized items
Check Descriptions (2 min): Ensure multi-line descriptions intact
Final Scan (1 min): Quick review for obvious errors
Smart Import Limits & Pricing
Included Smart Imports
All Inputly.AI plans include Smart Import feature:
| Plan | Price | Smart Imports/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Trial Pack | $50 (one-time) | 3 imports |
| Silver Pack | $299.99/month | 3 imports/month |
| Gold Pack | $499.99/month | 3 imports/month |
When 3 Imports/Month is Enough
Most restaurants find 3 imports sufficient:
Initial Setup: Import main menu once (1 import)
Seasonal Changes: Import new menu quarterly (1 import every 3 months)
Catering Menu: Import separate catering menu once (1 import)
Key Insight: Smart Import is for initial setup or major overhauls. Daily menu updates use CSV upload (unlimited) or manual edits.
Additional Imports
If you need more than 3 imports per month:
Add-On Packs: $49 for 5 additional imports
Contact Sales: Custom pricing for restaurants needing 10+ imports/month (multi-location groups)
Smart Import vs CSV Upload: When to Use Which
| Scenario | Best Method | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Initial menu setup from PDF | Smart Import | Fastest way to digitize non-digital menu |
| Menu already in Excel | CSV Upload | 100% accuracy, unlimited uploads |
| Update 20 prices | CSV Upload | Doesn't use limited Smart Import quota |
| Complete seasonal menu redesign | Smart Import | New PDF from designer, faster than CSV |
| Add 5 new items | Manual Entry | Too small for import, quick web form |
| Import 10-location chain menus | CSV Upload | Create one CSV template, replicate |
Real Restaurant Example
The Golden Dragon - Chinese Restaurant
Situation: Family-owned restaurant with 8-page PDF menu (138 items), no digital menu data available, wanted to launch AI phone ordering.
Option 1: Manual Entry
138 items × 2.5 minutes/item = 345 minutes (5.75 hours)
Add descriptions, modifiers: +90 minutes
Total Time: 7+ hours of tedious typing
Option 2: Smart Import (What They Did)
Uploaded 8-page PDF menu: 2 minutes
AI processing: 75 seconds
Reviewed extracted data: 18 minutes
Corrected 7 price errors, 3 category mistakes: 6 minutes
Approved and published: 30 seconds
Total Time: 27 minutes (93% time savings)
Owner Quote: "I was dreading entering 138 menu items. Smart Import took less than half an hour. I uploaded the PDF, the AI extracted everything, I fixed a few tiny errors, done. Our menu was live the same day we signed up."
Getting Started
Try Smart Menu Import Today
Upload your PDF menu or photos with our $50 trial pack. Get 3 smart imports included - digitize your entire menu in minutes, not hours.
Conclusion
Smart Menu Import eliminates the biggest barrier to AI phone system adoption: menu digitization. Instead of spending hours manually typing menu items from PDFs or printed menus, restaurants upload their existing menu files and let AI extract everything automatically with 95%+ accuracy.
The 10-15 minute review process catches the 5% of minor AI errors, resulting in a fully digitized menu ready for phone ordering in under 30 minutes total. For restaurants without digital menu data, Smart Import is the fastest path to AI phone automation.
Have a PDF menu? Upload it today. Try Smart Import with the $50 trial pack and digitize your entire menu before lunch.
